#CivicEntertainment

The Past, Present, and Future of Civic Entertainment in India

11 August 2018 10 AM onwards

The Godrej India Culture Lab with the Center for Civic Media - MIT Media Lab were proud to present The Past, Present, and Future of Civic Entertainment in India on August 11.

For democracy to survive, civic engagement is required. Learning to be watchdogs, holding leaders accountable, lobbying for causes, and ensuring political promises become policies are important roles and responsibilities of citizens. However, citizens have low trust in public institutions actually being able to change, and we have little knowledge about how to bring about change. When we’re angry about a problem, we’re often left with the questions – ‘what can I do?’ or ‘what is the solution?’.

That’s where Civic Entertainment can step in. Civic Entertainment is defined as the genre of stories in film, television, radio, literature, or in digital content that inspires civic engagement.

The event brought together media makers, civic activists, and edutainment theorists to explore different models of civic engagement in India, the best techniques that have been used to create thought and behavior-change through entertainment, and past and current trends of civic and political representation in Indian entertainment.